Hibiscus plant named ‘Berry Awesome’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of winter-hardy herbaceous perennial  Hibiscus  hybrid plant named ‘Berry Awesome’ comprising a short compact habit of multiple, well-branched, basal stems producing numerous flowers over a prolonged season having lavender-pink, overlapping petals and a cherry-red lustrous eye. The petals have radial pleating along veins which helps resist strong wind, bright sun and harsh rain conditions. The foliage is dark-green, primarily heavily-dissected and tri-lobed. Foliage is dark-green, purple-tinged with deeply dissected maple-like shape.

Botanical classification: Hibiscus hybrid (L.).

Variety denomination: ‘Berry Awesome’.

BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE PLANT

The present invention relates to the new and distinct hardy, herbaceous,hibiscus plant, Hibiscus ‘Berry Awesome’ hybridized by the inventor onAug. 3, 2011 at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The new plant is from across between Hibiscus ‘Crown Jewels’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,857 (femaleseed parent) times ‘Cranberry Crush’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,984 (malepollen parent). Both parents have a complex mixture of species in them,most likely including the species: moscheutos, coccineus and laevis(formerly H. militaris). Seed from the above cross was harvested on Nov.7, 2011 and the single seedling was later identified with the breedercode 11-107-101 after selection in 2013. Hibiscus ‘Berry Awesome’ wasfirst asexually propagated in 2013 by sterile shoot-tip tissue cultureat the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The resultant asexually propagatedplants from both methods have been found to be stable and true to typein successive generations of asexual reproduction.

No plants have been sold, either in this country or anywhere in theworld, prior to the filing of this application, nor has any disclosurebeen made prior to the filing of this application with the exception ofthat which was within one year of the filing of this application and wasderived directly or indirectly from the inventor.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Hibiscus ‘Berry Awesome’ differs from its parents as well as all otherhardy herbaceous hibiscus known to the applicant in many traits. Themost similar hibiscus in flower color known to the applicant is‘Berrylicious’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,062, habit of the new plant ismore compact, the foliage is darker greyed-purple tinged. Other similarhibiscus including: ‘Fantasia’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,853 and ‘PlumCrazy’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,854. ‘Fantasia’ and ‘Plum Crazy’ areslower growing, produce fewer stems, branches per stem and flowers perstem. The flowers of ‘Plum Crazy’ are more reddish than the new plant.Compared to the parents, the flowers of ‘Berry Awesome’ are more purpleand less red. The flower of ‘Crown Jewels’ is smaller than the newplant, and the color is near white with a red eye.

Hibiscus ‘Berry Awesome’ is a unique hardy herbaceous hibiscus with thefollowing combined traits:

-   -   1. Winter-hardy, perennial with short compact habit of multiple,        well-branched, basal stems.    -   2. Many flowers over a prolonged season having lavender-pink        overlapping petals and a lustrous eye of cherry-red.    -   3. Petals have radial pleating or folding giving the appearance        of a three-dimensional petals and helping resist strong wind,        bright sun and rain conditions.    -   4. Dark-green, purple-tinged, deeply-dissected, maple-like        foliage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance ofthe plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate asreasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum,source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation incolor.

FIG. 1 shows a close-up of the flowers with radially pleated or foldedlavender pink petals.

FIG. 2 shows a three-year old plant in the landscape.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2001edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except wherecommon dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Hibiscus ‘BerryAwesome’, has not been observed under all possible environments. Thephenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions,such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, butwithout any change in the genotype. The following observations and sizedescriptions are of three year-old plants in the loamy-sand, open-fieldfull-sun trials of a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplementalfertilizer and water as needed. The plants are of natural habit and werenot treated with plant growth regulators, nor were they pinched at anytime in the growth year.

-   Parentage: Hibiscus ‘Crown Jewels’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,857    (female seed parent) times Hibiscus ‘Cranberry Crush’ U.S. Plant    Pat. No. 21,984 (male pollen parent).-   Propagation:    -   -   Method.—Stem cuttings and sterile shoot-tip plant tissue            culture division.        -   Time to initiate roots from tissue culture.—About two weeks.        -   Rooting habit.—Normal, branching, developing thick to about            3.0 cm diameter, fleshy; root color creamy yellow between            RHS 161D and lighter than RHS 159D depending on soil type.        -   Crop time.—Under normal summer growing conditions 12 to 16            weeks to flower in a four-liter container from cutting.            Plant vigor is very good.-   Plant description:    -   -   Plant habit.—Hardy herbaceous perennial with 40 to 48 thick            upright and heavily branched main stems producing a upright            spreading mound to about 137.0 cm tall and 180.0 cm wide,            widest about 100 cm above soil line; 7 to 9 primary branches            per main stem protruding at 60° to 45° angle from vertical,            lateral branches on the proximal one third to one half of            the primary branches; secondary branches rare; flowering            from base to top of plant with about 48 to 54 flowers per            main stem.        -   Stem.—Terete, glabrous, glaucous; to about 137.0 cm tall and            about 1.6 cm diameter at base, average about 120.0 cm tall            and about 12.0 mm diameter at base.        -   Stem color.—Base between RHS 138B and RHS 147C with tinting            in high light exposed portions of nearest RHS 182B; distal            portion between RHS 183A and RHS 187B.        -   Lateral branches.—Terete, glabrous, glaucous; to about 38.5            cm long and 6.0 mm diameter.        -   Lateral branch color.—Between RHS 178A and RHS 183C.        -   Internode.—About 12 nodes per stem below flowers, average            internode length about 5.0 cm of unpinched plant, widest in            middle portion of stem.        -   Internode color.—Varying with light exposure, same as            surrounding stem.-   Foliage description: Alternate; dentate; glabrous; deeply cleft,    mostly three or five-lobed; sparsely and finely puberulent above and    below; with side lobes at about 80 degree angle from center lobe;    texture above and below matte; leave blades to about 17.0 cm long    and about 18.0 cm across, leaf blade size average 15.5 cm long and    14.0 cm wide, becoming smaller in distal portion of stem; no    fragrance detected.    -   -   Foliage color.—Adaxial side between RHS N187A and RHS 187A            with a green base of nearest RHS 141B; abaxial nearest RHS            147B.        -   Veins.—Palmate; sparsely and finely puberulent.        -   Vein color.—Adaxial primary and secondary veins nearest RHS            N186C; abaxial nearest RHS 161A in main leaf body with            dominant pigment of nearest RHS 183B toward margins with            densely speckling of nearest RHS 183D toward leaf base.        -   Petioles.—Mostly terete, finely puberulent; to about 9.5 cm            long and 7.0 mm diameter at base, average size about 8.0 cm            long and 6.0 mm wide.        -   Petiole color.—Adaxial between RHS 187B and RHS 187C;            abaxial nearest RHS 183C.-   Flower description: Complete; actinomophic; rotate; upward to    outward facing; lasting about two days on plant; no fragrance    detected.    -   -   Buds one day prior to opening.—Ovoid with acute apex and            bluntly rounded base; carinate at sepal fusions; unopened            petals wrinkled at veins; about 5.2 cm long and about 5.0 cm            across.        -   Bud color.—Exposed petal color nearest RHS 59B; color of            sepals between RHS 141C and RHS 143C without distinctly            colored veining.        -   Epicalyx.—Entire, abaxial and adaxial finely puberulent,            linear with sharply acute apex and attenuate base, curved            around sepals; matte surfaces; typically 10 to 12 per            flower; about 2.5 cm long tapering to base of about 3.0 mm            wide; adaxial and abaxial color between RHS 141C and RHS            143C.        -   Sepals.—Five, acute apex; margin entire, edentate; abaxial            and adaxial surfaces matte; fused in base; about 3.1 cm            long, fused in about the basal 1.3 cm, about 2.0 cm wide at            fusion, proximal 1.8 cm connate forming campanulate            star-shaped calyx.        -   Sepal color.—Abaxial nearest RHS 144A, adaxial color nearest            RHS 144B.        -   Flowers.—Solitary, 48 to 54 per main stem without pinching;            slightly cupped petals and lightly pleated at veins; upward            and outwardly facing; average 20.0 cm across and 5.5 cm deep            from outside face to inside base of petals, larger in early            part of flowering season; persist for a one to two days;            effective for at least 10 weeks beginning late-July and            lasting into October; no detectable fragrance.        -   Petals.—Five; glabrous, slightly lustrous in center and dull            both front and back toward middle and perimeter; adnate to            the androecium to form a column, imbricate to about 75%            overlapping at widest part (petals overlapping all but 25%            of the petals to either side), palmately veined, primary and            secondary veins impressed on front and ribbed on back;            shape: rounded with distinct claw and limb; margins: entire,            edentate; apex: rounded; base: short claw-like; size:            average about 10.5 cm long and about 14.0 cm wide at widest            portion (larger in earlier part of flowering season); center            dark eye about 6.5 cm diameter.        -   Petal color.—Adaxial as first opening nearest RHS 60C and            between RHS 70C and RHS 70B when fully opened with a darker            eye of between RHS 53A and RHS 60A; abaxial color between            RHS 70B and RHS 70C with exposed eye between RHS 61C and RHS            61B; adaxial vein color nearest RHS 61B for about 5.0 cm            then blending with distal portion of petal, adaxial veins            nearest RHS 61B.        -   Gynoecium.—Single; partially enclosed in column. Column:            glabrous, lustrous; about 5.7 cm long and 1.5 cm wide at            base. Column color: basal 1.0 cm nearest RHS 61B, then next            proximal 1.0 cm nearest 62D with distal 4.2 cm with            longitudinal ridges of RHS 61B and RHS 62C. Style:            protruding from column and split in distal about 7.0 mm            portion into typically five branches and protrudes from            column, branch diameter about 1.5 mm; branch color nearest            RHS 59C. Stigma: typically five; globose, puberulent, about            2.5 mm in diameter; color nearest RHS 59C. Ovary: superior,            about 9.0 mm across at base and about 10.0 mm tall; acute            apex; color between RHS 145B and RHS 145C.        -   Androecium.—Filaments: numerous, about 150; less than about            1.0 mm in diameter and about 6.0 mm long; attached along            nearly the entire length of column; color variable, some            nearest RHS 59C others nearest RHS N155C. Anthers: reniform;            dorsifixed; about 2 mm long and 1 mm wide; color between RHS            151A and RHS 11C. Pollen: numerous, globose, less than 0.1            mm long; color nearest RHS 12C.        -   Pedicel.—Terete, finely puberulent; length from base of            sepal to abscission point average 1.2 cm long and 4.0 mm            wide, longer on early flowers decreasing in distal flowers;            color nearest RHS 138B.        -   Peduncle.—Terete, finely puberulent flowers are held easily            visible on average 7.0 cm long from abscission point to stem            and 4.0 mm wide, longer on earlier and lower flowers; color            nearest RHS 138B distally just below abscission point,            becoming nearest RHS 182B in higher direct sun exposure.        -   Fruit.—Loculicidal capsule; puberulent; globose, with            abruptly acute apex; color between RHS N199B and RHS N199C            when mature.        -   Seed.—Minutely floccose, typically globose; about 3.0 mm in            diameter; color between RHS 200A and RHS N199B.-   Resistance: The flowers of ‘Berry Awesome’ have resisted wind, rain    and hot sun conditions better than typical hardy perennial hibiscus.    Other pest and disease resistance beyond that of other hardy    perennial hibiscus cultivars has not been observed. The plant grows    best with plenty of moisture, but is able to tolerate some drought    once established. Hardiness at least from USDA zone 4 through 9, and    other disease resistance is typical of that of other hardy hibiscus    cultivars.

I claim:
 1. A new cultivar of hardy herbaceous perennial Hibiscus hybridplant named ‘Berry Awesome’ as herein illustrated and described,suitable for potted plant culture, landscaping as a specimen or enmasse, and especially suited for patios and confined spaces because ofthe short compact habit.